February 26, 2008

Christina Nelson, Nature Program Manager at Amelia IslandPlantation, recently spied In the shallow waters off the beachat The Dunes Club a sight she had been waiting 12 years to see--Right Whales. There off the coast a mother and heryoung calf remained on the surface of the water for at least an hour before traveling northward along the coastline toward the Amelia Inn & Beach Club.

“I watched in awe as the youngster submerged then floated to the surface blowing water from its blow holes," she saidexcitedly. "The calf would swim around the mother, pause to nurse, and then flip its tail as it investigated the dolphins that were passing by. I got a few pictures--most look like black logs floating on the ocean, but the memory will remain with me forever,” said Nelson.

Right whales are one of the most endangered whale species with only about 300 remaining. In spring and summerNorthern Right whales swim along the coast of Canada and New England where they feed on plankton. In late fall and early winter, the pregnant females make their annual migration to the warm coastal waters off South Carolina, Georgia, and Northeast Florida where they give birth.

The waters off these southeastern states are designated as Right Whale Critical Habitat because it is the only calving area known for this whale. Amelia Island Plantation, whichhas its own Nature Center and Staff Naturalist, is featuredon www.GreenGolfCommunities.net.